


Call It Aggressive Negotiations

by theonewithpurplehair



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, First Date, Fluff, Office Romance, Realization, Second Date, i am kara x lena trash, i think we're officially dating now, my first ao3 fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-21 22:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8262613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonewithpurplehair/pseuds/theonewithpurplehair
Summary: Kara’s first assignment as a reporter is to interview Lena Luthor for Catco Magazine. She’s a professional reporter now, so why does she feel so nervous?A fluffy introduction to the Kara x Lena ship.





	1. A New Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Supergirl; Supergirl owns me.

“Kara!” Cat Grant’s voice cut through the office like a crack of the whip. “Kara?”

Eve Teschmacher, her new assistant, fumbled at her desk, dropping a stack of papers. Cat had to ask her to speak up, twice before she managed to sputter out a reply, still kneeling on the floor with loose papers in her hands. “She has her n-new office, ma’am–Mrs.–Ms. Grant.”

“I should have put her office next to mine,” Cat mutters, rising from her desk.

“S-shall I get her for you?” Eve asked.

“No, no,” Cat brushed past without a glance. “I can speak to her myself.”

The knock on the door interrupted Kara from nothing more important than staring at a blank document. She’d been a reporter for all of twenty-four hours, and she already felt a bit lost. It didn’t help that James had asked for the same space from her as Winn had when she’d told him they ought to be friends. She knew it was for the best, that James would be her friend again once he took the time and space he needed—she trusted him to stay true to his promise to do so—but she disliked the distance none the less. She thrived on community, on her bonds with friends and family. One of them being turbulent sent her spirit into a restless whirl.

“Ugh, I hate this!” she blurted. That was when Cat knocked.

“Tired of your new position already?” Cat quirked her lips slightly, so Kara knew she was teasing.

Kara stood, adjusting her glasses with nervous fingers. “No, um, Ms. Grant, I’m just, well, I don’t know what to work on right now and—.”

“Oh please, Kara. We all know that you’re feeling frustrated because James Olsen is working through his feelings. Not that I blame him. You two have been pining away at each other since he started working here. You’re a smart girl, competent, bright, and full of promise. What person wouldn’t want to have a relationship with you?”

“It’s just not the right time, Ms. Grant. I, I have too much to think about with being a reporter now.”

“I understand you, don’t worry. No one blames you, or him, or anyone for things not working out. I learned early on in my career that when things don’t work with someone, it’s best to not waste time wallowing in it. You can always change your mind when you feel more settled. There’s nothing wrong with a woman changing her mind about what she wants at any given moment. Remember what I said about having it all? Not all at once and not right away.”

Kara sighed, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. “Thank you Ms. Grant.”

“Now, I didn’t come in here to talk about Mr. Olsen. I’m here because I want an interview with Lena Luther. Why is she here? What will be different about her from her brother? Does she really think rebranding her family’s company will win the city’s trust? Consider this your first assignment.”

“L-Lena Luthor? But Ms. Grant wouldn’t you want someone more experienced to handle the interview? Someone like–”

“Are you asking me to hand this off, Kara?” Cat retorted, disappointment seeping into her voice.

“No, Ms. Grant. Of course not.”

“Good. Then set that up as soon as you can. I don’t want to get scooped by the Daily Planet, even if they do send Clark Kent.” With a wave of her hand toward the computer, Cat Grant returned to her office.

 _Lena Luthor. She wants me to interview Lena Luthor._ Kara’s stomach fluttered. She didn’t know why, but the thought of interviewing Lena Luthor put her in knots. Her cheeks felt hot. She exhaled forcefully.

“I can do this.” She told herself, then picked up the phone to dial the front desk. “Get me Lena Luthor’s office please.”


	2. An Awkward Phone Call

“Dinner?” Kara knew she sounded unprofessional. She hadn’t meant to blurt the question like that, but she was taken aback. Was Lena Luther really asking her out to dinner? What did that mean?

“If you’re free,” Lena replied, her voice assured and a touch amused over the phone. “I am a busy woman these days Ms. Danvers. I just rebranded my family’s company and the attacks on my life are a PR nightmare. I’m swamped during normal business hours. Dinner would give us the time to talk without fear of being interrupted.”

That made sense, on the face of it, but Lena wasn’t done. “Plus, it would give us a chance to get to know one another on more neutral, equal footing.”

 _What does that mean?_ It could be nothing. It had to be nothing. She’d only just met Lena Luthor. _She just wants to be professional_ , Kara assured herself. That’s it, professional. She had to be professional as well. She was a reporter now, after all.

“Dinner would work very well Ms. Luthor.”

“Lena.”

“What?”

Lena laughed. It was low, throaty, and made Kara’s stomach do that flip-flopping thing that she didn’t quite know how to name. “Call me Lena, please, Ms. Danvers.”

“Y-yes, Ms. Lu– I mean Lena. Of course,” Kara said, adjusting her glasses furiously. She was surprised she hadn’t snapped them in half already. _What is wrong with me today? I must just be nervous from starting my new job._ “Does this evening work for you?”

“Perfectly.” Kara could hear the smile in Lena’s reply. “Do you prefer local, or are you more adventurous?”

Kara dropped her pen. “P-pardon?”

“I’ve heard Noonan’s is the local hot spot, but if you’d like to try something knew, I know the chef at Makisu.”

Makisu? That was the new high end sushi place down town. Rumor was that the waiting list to get a table was months long. But Lena could get them in that night? Kara’s stomach rumbled. It had been almost two hours since she’d eaten and she hoped Lena hadn’t heard it over the phone.

“Do you like sushi, Ms. Danvers?”

“I love sushi, M–Lena,” Kara’s stomach rumbled again. “That would be great!”

“Excellent. See you at 7:30, then?” Lena sounded pleased.

 _I’m sure she’s eager to establish her name in National City, just like I was as Supergirl._ “7:30 it is. I’ll see you tonight Lena.”

“Until then, Ms. Danvers.”

Kara set the phone down. Her hands were shaking, so it took her until the third try to get it back in it’s cradle. What was wrong with her today? She’d sounded so stupid on the phone, echoing everything Lena said and stuttering her replies. Now she couldn’t’ even hold her phone. “I need food.”

She picked up her cell and sent a quick message to Alex, hoping desperately she was free. She checked the time, figuring she might just have time to swing by Manhattan for some baklava.

“Supergirl’s gotta eat.”


	3. Sisters Can Be So Annoyingly Right

“So you’re going to dinner with Lena Luthor. Is it a date?”

That was Alex, always right the point. “No!” Kara blurted, mouth full of a bite of cherry pie (her second piece). The couple in the booth next to them had an infant sleeping in a carseat with them and the mom glared at her outburst. She pitched her voice lower. “I mean, this is an interview, right? It’s all…very professional. I’m a reporter now, I’m doing reporting things.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow, “You sure about that?” 

Kara huffed. “I don’t know what you mean, Alex!”

“Lena probably would,” she teased.

Kara feigned anger, but inside, her feelings were all a confusion. Did Alex think that Lena liked her, like, _liked_ her liked her? Alex had had a girlfriend or two in college, but like the boyfriends, they’d all been set aside for her work at the DEO. But Kara had never really dated much; she’d always felt too shy, to awkward. Too different. And she’d never wanted to start a relationship with someone who didn’t know who she really was. It wasn’t fair to them or her to let that secret exist between them.

It’s part of what had made James so appealing—that and the smile that she was convinced could charm the paint off of a wall. But he’d known her secret, known who she was and supported her, cared about her and let her be strong and run headlong into danger without being protective, as she knew guys could be. Alex’s second, and last, boyfriend had taught her how frustrating that kind of attitude could be.

But Lena? Would someone like Lena Luthor really be interesting in her, Kara Danvers? No. She’d mostly talked to her cousin Clark when they’d seen her, and that as one professional to another. Lena Luthor ran a multi-billion dollar company. What could she possibly see in Kara Danvers, bright eyed freshly minted reporter for Catco Media. What had she said? _“A publication not known for it’s hard-hitting journalism_.” _She probably thinks I’m not even a real reporter then, that I’m just going to do some fluff piece to make her look good and get clicks for Catco._

Alex was wrong. She had to be. There was nothing to this dinner but professional courtesy and Lena’s busy schedule. Lena would have offered dinner to Clark if he’d been the one to ask.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Alex.” She took another bite of pie and pointed her fork at her sister. “Lena is a busy woman who only has time to meet for dinner, that’s it.”

“If you’re so sure of that, why did you ask me out to lunch to talk about it?”

“I didn’t…”

Alex smiled, “Of course you did, Kara. You’re doing that thing you do when you don’t want to overanalyze something so you try really hard to be casual about it but inside, you’re running in circles.”

Kara flushed. “Is it that obvious?”

“I’m your sister, Kara, I know you better than you want me to.” Alex’s phone let out an indignant chirp. “It’s Hank. I’m needed at the DEO.”

“Do you want me to–”

“Nope.” Alex pushed Kara back down into her seat. It shocked Kara sometimes just how much force Alex could exert against her even though she had super strength. Alex had jokingly called it ‘sister strength’ when they were kids. “No backing out needlessly to avoid facing your feelings.”

“What feelings? I don’t have feelings! Alex, I just broke up with James, there’s no way I have feelings for…for Lena Luthor of all people! I just met her.”

“If you say so,” Alex threw over her shoulder. “Tell me how the date goes.”

Kara took another bite of pie. “I don’t have feelings.” She muttered grumpily.


	4. Dinner and An Interview

Kara fidgeted with the skirt of her dress. It was an A-line dress with a crocheted layer in royal blue belted with thin silver belt that matched her simple tear drop earrings Alex had bought for her to congratulate her on her new position at Catco. She wanted to look professional, but she also knew that blue was one of the best colors on her. “It brings out the brightness of your eyes,” Alex had told her when she unwrapped it. She found she liked the idea of Lena noticing the color of her eyes, but brushed the thought away. _No feelings, just business,_ she reminded herself for the thousandth time. Sure, that would work. 

“This is not a date,” she told ornamental trees framing the door to the restaurant. They seemed unconvinced. 

She was a few minutes early for the meeting and didn’t want to seem overeager, so she’d decided to wait outside until Lena arrived. She’d walked to Makisu to try and calm the butterflies whirling in her stomach—butterflies due only to the fact that this was her first big reporting assignment, of course. Nothing more. Definitely not the fact that she had spent the afternoon reading everything she could about Lena Luthor and had realized just how much they had in common. And seen how dazzling Lena’s smile could be in a photograph. 

Her phone chimed. A text from Alex. _I’ll have ice cream ready if your not date doesn’t go well. If it does, put a sock on your doorknob so I know not to interrupt._ Alex knew how to push her buttons, still, she was grateful. She laughed and shot back a retort off the cuff, _If it goes well you won’t need a sock on the door. You’ll be able to hear it._ She immediately regretted the text, as it revealed a bit too much of the dreaded feelings she was trying to pretend weren’t there, but it was too late. Alex had already read her text and was crafting a reply. _Just don’t break anything you can’t easily replace._ Kara flushed. 

“Am I interrupting something? Texting your boyfriend perhaps?” 

Kara almost dropped her phone. “N-no, Ms. Luthor, I mean Lena. I, I was just texting my sister Alex.” 

“And she makes you blush like that?” 

“Not usually, I mean,” Kara struggled for words. _Why can’t I talk?_ “She does like to tease me sometimes.”

“Older siblings do that.” Lena smiled, but her eyes had a pinch of sadness laced with regret about them. “Shall we get started? After you.”

Lena gestured for Kara to enter. The restaurant was full, but not noisy. Tastefully decorated in black and white with Japanese brush paintings of birds, cherry blossoms, and the sea spaced harmoniously on the walls, Kara felt instantly tranquil. The simple elegance exuded both strength and stability, much like her dinner companion. 

Dressed in a black figure hugging dress with a string of grey freshwater pearls and black satin pumps, Lena Luthor looked every inch the powerhouse CEO. Her dark red lipstick contrasted beautifully with the cream of her skin and dark eyeliner. Kara tried not to stare, but it was difficult. Lena was mesmerizing.

Without even asking for their names, the maître d’ led them to a private booth near the kitches where they could watch the chef’s work the delicate art without being overhard by the other guests. It felt cozy, and all too intimate. 

Kara sat ramrod straight and fumbled at the catch on her clutch. She needed her pen and notepad in her hand to feel comfortable. 

“Um, how did you know, about Alex I mean? That she’s older.” 

Lena arched a brow, “That’s an odd way to start an interview, but I’ll bite.” She steepled her fingers under her chin. “I looked you up, Ms. Danvers.” 

“You what?”

“I looked you up. I wanted to know what kind of woman would be interviewing me.” 

“Oh.” _That was a stupid way to answer_. Kara adjusted her glasses. _Stop being so nervous. You’re a reporter!_ “Well, I hope I live up to your expectations.”

“You have already, Ms. Danvers,” Lena smiled again.

“Kara,” she said, with more confidence. She had to stop thinking of Lena as if she were Cat Grant on her first day of work. Cat was her boss, Lena was her equal. “Call me Kara, please, Lena.”

Lena looked distinctly pleased. “Kara, then.”

Kara set her notepad and pen on the table along with her brand new recorder as the waiter arrived with their first course, an enticing array of sashimi. She recognized tuna, yellowfin, salmon, and shrimp, but there were other fish she could not name. It all looked mouthwateringly good. Definitely a step up from the sushi place she and Alex liked to visit once a month.

“We didn’t even order,” she blurted.

“There’s no menu here, Kara,” Lena replied, picking up one of the yellowfin pieces and popping it into her mouth. The red of her nails matched the color of her lips perfectly. “The chef prepares something different every time.”

“It looks amazing!”

“It tastes amazing, too, if you’d only take a bite.” Lena’s green eyes twinkled with amusement.

Kara ate one of the salmon pieces and almost groaned with delight. She’d have to pace herself, though. She didn’t want Lena to see her stuffing herself.

They chitchatted a bit over the first course, the weather, the food, how Lena knew the chef. Once the second course arrived, Kara started up her recorder and uncapped her pen. This was an interview, after all. Best not to forget that. “So, why National City?”

Lena pursed her lips. “Moving on so soon? We were just starting to enjoy ourselves.”

Kara fumbled with her glasses again. “Well, Ms.–Lena, I am supposed to be interviewing you for Catco magazine.” She sat up straighter. “This dinner isn’t just for, ah, pleasure.”

“No,” Lena said. “Pity. Best be getting it out of the way, then, so we can go back to enjoying ourselves. To answer your question, I chose National City mostly for practical reasons. It’s far enough away from Metropolis that I have less fear of my brother’s reputation ruining my chances at rebranding L-Corp, but it’s a big enough city that I can truly do some good.”

Kara jotted down her thoughts with her pen as the device recorded Lena’s words. 

“I can’t deny that Supergirl wasn’t an allure as well." 

“S-Supergirl?”

“The chance to meet the cousin of Metropolis’ own caped crusader was too much to pass up,” Lena too a drink of her sake thoughtfully. “I like what she stands for too, and Ms. Grant at Catco. For all that her magazine tends toward the superficial, her messaging is on point and very much in line with my own ideals. I want L-Corp to be a force for good. What better place to do that than the city whose most powerful symbols are women championing positivity and change? If there was any place that I could leave my brother’s violent legacy behind and make my own choices, it’s here.”

Kara liked what she heard. Her instincts had been to trust Lena, despite her cousin’s fears and as she listend to Lena talk, she became more and more convinced that her read on Lena had been correct. _Kal El can’t help it, he’s had to deal with Lex Luthor’s megalomania for too long not to distrust anyone with the Luthor name._ “You see this as an opportunity to help National City, then, and not just further your own economic interests?”

“Oh it’s very much both, I assure you. I’m a businesswoman after all. I wouldn’t invest in something that I didn’t think would have good returns for myself. And my company, of course.” She picked up a piece of _tataki_ with her chopsticks, her eyes locked on Kara.

Kara almost tore the page in her notebook over as she turned it, momentarily lost in her notes. Her heart was racing, and she didn’t think it was because of the _fugu_. “ So, ah, tell me a bit more about the transition. How did you come to take over L-Corp if your brother wants you dead, wouldn’t he have blocked any move for you to take control?”

“I call it aggressive negotiations,” Lena replied, her smile enigmatic. “I like a challenge.”

Now why did it sound suspiciously like Lena was no longer talking about her work?


	5. Was That A Date?

“She actually said ‘I call it aggressive negotiations’?” Winn turned in his chair to face Kara. “Like, the exact phrase?” 

“Yeah, the exact phrase, why? Of all the things I said that’s what you think is important?” Even though he was her best friend, sometimes she wanted to shake Winn. But Alex and J’onn were out on a mission for the DEO and she needed someone to talk to about her dinner last night. Sh didn’t think she could write her article in the state she was in, and Cat was already bugging her about the deadline. 

“Tick Tock, Kara. I want that interview on my desk by the end of the day.” 

She’d sputtered a “Yes, Ms. Grant”, grabbed her company issued laptop, and headed over to the DEO as soon as she was able. If she could talk out her nerves then maybe she could write. So here she was, Winn grinning at her like a little boy, and she was still no closer to finishing her draft.

“That’s amazing! She’s so cool!” Kara stared. “Don’t you recognize it Kara? From Star Wars?” 

“I never made it past the part where the planet blew up, Winn.” 

“Oh, um, right.” He shifted in his chair. “Well, anyway, it means she’s kind of a nerd, and probably that she likes you.” 

“Ugh, Winn! That’s not helping!” 

He threw up his hands, “I’m just throwing that out there, don’t blame me.” Kara huffed and looked away. She didn’t want to think about what Winn had said, but she couldn’t get it out of her head either. She had work to do; she didn’t have time to be thinking about what Lena thought of her! 

“Uh, Kara. I know you probably don’t want this right now, but is it really a surprise that she might like you? I mean, who wouldn’t. You’re smart, beautiful, and have so much heart.” 

“I don’t have time for people liking me right now, Winn.” She slumped into the chair next to him. “I just got promoted, I have an article due by the end of the day. James and I just broke up _because_ I have so much to do. The last thing I need is to start liking someone else.” 

“So you do like her?” 

“What? No, I–. Ugh. I don’t know.”

“I can’t tell you what you’re feeling right now, Kara, but I can tell you not to stuff it down. You know how I feel about bottling up feelings.” 

“What if I don’t know what I feel, Winn?” 

He took her shoulders. “Then let it go for now until you do. Write your article for Cat; eat some ice cream with Alex and watch _Game of Thrones_. I don’t know, punch a car or something,” they both laughed at that and she relaxed. “Your feelings will let you know what they are eventually.” 

“Thanks, Winn,” she hugged him, grateful once again for the connections she’d forged in National City over the past few months. Earth felt more her home now than ever, and Winn was a part of that.

“No time for hugging, Kara,” J’onn’s voice bellowed from the doorway. “We’ve got an escapee from Fort Rozz that’s been hiding out in an abandoned warehouse since you threw the station into space, and we need Supergirl.” 

Kara sighed. “I guess my article can wait.” She tried to sound reproachful, but deep down, she was relieved. Capturing aliens made much more sense to her right now than Lena Luthor and her dazzling smile.


	6. That Was Definitely A Date

She slept better than night than she had in several days. The alien menace had been locked up in Fort Rozz, her draft of her interview with Lena turned in just under the wire, and she’d capped the night off with a bottle of wine, Chinese take-out, and an episode of _The Sopranos_ with Alex. They’d already watched every episode (twice), but it never got old. 

It was an oddly comforting evening, normal. It helped distract her from the newness creeping up on her. That is, until Alex decided to ask her about her not date. 

“So, how’d it go with Lena last night? I didn’t see a sock on the doorknob, but you didn’t answer when I knocked either.” 

“Alex!” 

“What? I’m your big sister, I’m allowed to ask,” Alex caught the pillow Kara threw at her deftly. “If you’re going to lock me out, I’m allowed to pester you about it later.”

Kara snatched up another pillow, but instead of flinging at her sister, she hugged it to her chest. “I did not have any company last night if that answers your question.”

“One of them,” Alex said, “But not the other. How did it go? You didn’t tell her you were Supergirl did you?” 

Kara feigned indignation. “I-I’m offended you would even ask that Alex.”

“You have to admit you have a hard time keeping that a secret; half the city knows who you are.” 

“It is _not_ half the city, Alex.” 

Alex ticked them off on her fingers, “There’s Winn, James, Lucy, me, Cat.”

“Cat doesn’t know!” 

Alex rolled her eyes, “How long do you think the stunt J’onn pulled is going to keep her in the dark? Deep down, she knows.” 

“Still,” Kara was adamant. “That’s not a lot, just the people that I care about.” 

Alex smiled. “So why didn’t you tell Lena again?” 

Kara threw another pillow at Alex’s head, and this time, it hit it’s mark. “Ow! Remember that I don’t have an alien skull to protect me from your superstrength.” 

Kara pouted. “You deserved that and you know it.” 

Alex pointed at herself with mock innocence. “Who me? Your big sister who loves you and always looks out for you? The big sister who only wants you to be happy with the person you love?” 

“I don’t love Lena Luthor,” Kara protested. 

“Not yet.” 

“What…I…Alex–I don’t know what you could mean!” 

Alex looked suddenly serious. “Kara, you’re doing that thing.” 

Kara shrank back into the sofa, arms wrapped fiercely around another pillow. Her voice was small, “What thing?” 

Alex leaned close and put her arm on Kara’s shoulder, “That thing where you deny what you’re feeling because you’re confused and uncertain. I know that not all problems are as straightforward as an alien escapee from Fort Rozz, but you can't just run away from the ones you can't punch into a cell at the DEO.” 

Kara giggled.

“Kara, be serious.”

“Don’t you get it? You said ‘straightforward’. Get it? Because–” 

Alex cut her off, eyes rolling but a smile on her face, “Because you’re not. Ha ha. How many times will you make that joke?” 

“Every time you say it. Come on, Alex, it’s funny!” 

“No, Kara, it’s not. It wasn’t even funny the first time you said it, back when I told you about my first girlfriend. It’s a terrible pun.” 

“But you love me for it. Come on, admit it. You love me.” 

Alex pulled away, all a part of the game they played whenever Kara made a joke Alex didn’t want to admit she thought was funny. “Nope. Not even a bit.” 

“You love me. You loooooove me!” 

“Not going to work, Kara” 

Kara grabbed Alex around the waist and stared up at her, blue eyes as innocent as a laborador puppy’s. “You love me. You love me because I’m so cute.” 

Alex snorted. 

“Aaand,”Kara shot up and out the open window like a bolt of lightning, papers flying off of her desk in a whirlwind around the couch. In a second, she was seating next to Alex, a paper cup in her hand. “You love me because I get you that gelato you like from Rome.” 

“Fine! I admit it. I love you.” Alex relaxed her crossed arms and smiled. “But only because you got me pistachio.” 

She snatched the gelato out of Kara’s hands, took a bite with closed eyes, and sighed happily. 

Kara picked at the tassel on a pillow. “You’re right, though, Alex. About Lena I mean. Not that I love her, but that I do, have feelings. I don’t know what they are yet, but, I like spending time with her. I feel like I can be myself around her, that she sees the best in me before I can see it myself.” 

“And that bothers you?”

“No, not at all. It’s just…it’s scary. It feels like it’s happening too fast. I only just broke up with James. And now I’m a reporter at Catco. There’s just so much happening.” 

Alex gave her a penetrating gaze. “You think that if you admit you like Lena, you’ll be betraying James. 

“A little bit, yeah.” 

Alex put down her gelato and took her sister’s hands. “Kara, you don’t owe James anything right now. Yes, he’s your friend. It’s good that you are concerned about him, but you need to do what’s best for you, not what’s best for James. It’s _your_ life. If being with Lena makes you happy, James will understand that. That’s what both of you have always wanted for each other, isn’t it? For the other person to be happy?” 

Kara nodded reluctantly.

Alex continued, tucking Kara’s hair behind her ear, “You thought for a while that you would make each other happy. That’s understandable. Then you realized that it wasn’t right for you right now, and in the meantime, you found someone else you think _will_ make you happy, right?” 

“I–I think so, maybe.” 

“That’s worth trying for, Kara. Just like it was worth trying with James. You having feelings for Lena doesn’t erase how you felt for James. It only means that you’ve changed your mind. Your heart is telling you something different now than it was a week ago.” 

“But what if he’s mad at me?” Kara’s eyes misted. “He’s one of my best friends. I don’t want to lose that.” 

“Every relationship has risks, Kara. But it worked out with Winn, just remember what it took last time.” 

“Space and time.” 

“Exactly.” 

Kara rested her head on Alex’s shoulder. “Thanks, Alex. That helps a lot.” 

“You’re welcome, Kara. You’re my sister, and I love you more than anything.” 

“I love you, too.”

They stayed that way several moments before Kara spoke again. “Oh, and Alex?” 

“Hmmm?” 

“I like Lena Luthor.” 

Alex’s reply was to squeeze her sister tighter and whisper she was proud of her into her hair.


	7. Business as Usual?

Not one but two bouquets greeted Kara when she arrived at Catco two days later. The first one she recognized immediately as from Clark because of it’s unusual composition.

“It’s sugar cane,” she told the bemused receptionist. “An inside joke between my cousin and I. He teased me when I was younger about being sweet as sugar. So, I’d tell him that at least sugar cane was prettier than a stinkhorn mushroom, you know, because his mom called him a stinker, and, oops sorry too much information.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose with an awkward grin. The receptionist smiled politely. 

Kara set down her coffee tray to read the cards. As she had known the vase of wispy white plumes was from Clark: 

 _Congratulations on getting your first article published, Kara! Alura and Zor El would be so proud of you today, as proud and happy as I am._ _You’re going to be a great reporter._

 _Love, K_  

K for Kal El, she knew. Her eyes misted over at the mention of her parents. Clark always knew what to say to simultaneously encourage her and make her heart ache. She blinked back the tears. She didn’t want to cry in front of the whole office when she should be beaming over the publication of her Lena interview. 

She touched the feathery flowers, running the tips of her fingers along the edges. _They’re as close to the feather flowers of Krypton as he can manage_. Clark always tried to get her flowers that reminded her of the flora on Krypton. She hadn’t lied when she told the receptionist that it was an inside language between her and her cousin, only it wasn’t a joke. It was a display of solidarity and love. She sniffled. 

“Are you alright, Ms. Danvers?” The receptionist looked concerned. “You don’t have allergies do you? I can have the flowers held up here if you don’t want them in their office.   
“Yes!” Kara brightened immediately. “I mean no, I don’t have allergies. I’m fine, really. I just need to find a way to carry these both and my coffee to my office. I’ve only got two hands!”

 “Let me help you, Kara,” Cat Grant eased up next to her former assistant with smooth grace. “Aren’t you the popular one today?” 

“I, uh, yes, Ms. Grant, I mean, good morning, Ms. Grant.” 

“Cat, please, Kara. We’ve been over this. You’re no longer my assistant. You can call me by my first name like an adult.” Cat reached across the desk and took up the second bouquet, an explosion of white, purple, orange, and burgundy. When Kara stared, Cat shooed her toward her office with an impatient wave.

“Dahlias,” she mused. “Inner strength and creativity, not a bad choice, if somewhat unusual, especially paired with celosia and Chinese lantern flowers. Wonder, vibrant and enduring, and joyous affection. Hmmm. Don’t give me that look, Kara,” Cat retorted as she swept past Kara into her office. “I’ve sent a hidden message in a bouquet of flowers a time or two.” 

“Um, yes Ms.­–Cat; I’m sure they don’t mean anything though. I haven’t even read the note yet,” Kara looked a bit helplessly around her sparse office. “I guess we could put them on my desk.” 

“Haven’t read the note yet? Then how are you suppose to know who your new admirer is?” 

“A-admirer? Who says it’s an admirer?” Kara busied her hands with setting down Clark’s flowers and her coffee, trying desperately not to look Cat in the eye. _What if they’re from Lena? Would she be that forward?_ Kara shook her head. She was imagining things. Admitting she liked Lena to Alex was putting ideas into her head that Lena might like her back. Winn did say he thought Lena liked her. _Stop it Kara! You’re getting ahead of yourself_. 

Cat was staring at her in that knowing way she had. “Kara, no one sends a bouquet this beautiful, or expensive, if they’re not a teensy bit interested in you. And more than professionally. And the message is clear as day.” 

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Kara insisted. 

“Alright, fine. If you want to play it close to the chest, I understand, especially after breaking up with James.” 

The mention of her friend and almost-boyfriend made her chest tighten uncomfortably. He’d been avoiding her since they’d last talked, just like Winn had. She left him alone, giving him the space and time he needed. It still hurt to think about him, though. She missed her friend. She hoped he might stop by and congratulate her; she wanted to share how excited she was to have done her first piece as a reporter with him. As an investigative photographer, he would understand how much this meant to her. She couldn’t think too much about that now, though, she had Cat standing in her office making insinuations about a secret admirer and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep from blurting out her feelings for Lena if Cat kept pestering her! 

“Can I help you, Cat?” 

“Why yes, actually. I didn’t just follow you here to be your errand boy, after all.” Cat set the flowers down on Kara’s desk with a last significant look. “I came to personally congratulate you for your article. You impressed me with your timeliness and insight.” 

Kara beamed. “Thank you, Cat.”

“You seem to have made an excellent start to your new career. Don’t let me down.” 

“I won’t, Cat. I mean, I’ll do my best not to.” 

“Do, Kara. Remember what I said about diving and daring. You’ve managed to dip your toe in the waters and found you like it. Don’t stop moving forward. Wading in slowly and staying on the shore might feel safe as you head out into this new adventure, but at some point, you’re going to have to dive in headfirst, or you won’t reach the other side. Enjoy what you’ve accomplished and strive for even more, do you understand?” 

“Yes, Cat, I think so.” 

“Good. Now, Lena Luthor is waiting for a phone call from you this morning. She wants to congratulate you herself, and I believe she mentioned she might have a lead for a new story for you.” 

“A lead?” 

“Yes, a lead,” Cat replied tersely. “Now chop chop! Best not to keep her waiting all day.” 

“Of course!” Kara sat at her desk and reached for her phone. 

“Oh, and Kara?” Cat said from the doorway, a sly smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Don’t forget what I said about daring, hmm?” 

Kara felt the heat creeping up into her neck. “Y-yes, Ms. Grant, I mean, Cat.” 

“Good girl,” Cat shut the door behind her, leaving Kara alone to fiddle with the phone cord and wonder what Cat had meant by that last remark.

 _She can’t mean…she can’t know I can she? About Lena and I?_ “What Lena and I,” she scoffed out loud. “There is no Lena and I.” _Yet_ , a small voice whispered. 

Kara ignored it, squared her shoulders, and dialed Lena’s office. 

“L-Corp Offices, this is Emma, how may I help you?” The woman on the other end had a calm, cheerful voice and Kara felt herself relax. _You can do this._  

“This is Kara, Kara Danvers from Catco Magazine calling. Is Ms. Luthor available?” 

“I’ll put you right on through, Ms. Danvers; she has been expecting your call.” 

Expecting her call. Expecting… _You silly of course she is. Cat told you that_. She took a sip of her latte to calm her nerves. 

“Kara,” Lena’s voice on the other line fairly hummed. “So lovely to hear from you. Congratulations on the article.” 

“So you like it?” Kara asked, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

She heard Lena chuckle on the other end, “I love it! You painted a very pretty picture of me and my business.” 

“I strove to tell the truth. You are a very pr-presidential woman. I mean, you are the president of L-Corp and a visionary businesswoman. National City is lucky to have you.” Kara’s heart started racing. She’d almost called Lena pretty and wasn’t sure if she hoped Lena had noticed or not. 

“High praise from someone as highly respected by Cat Grant as you are.” 

“C-Cat Grant?” 

“Come now, Kara. You must know how highly Cat Grant thinks of you. She let you choose your own career at Catco. From what I hear, Cat’s not the kind to throw around open-ended promotions lightly,” Lena paused, as if waiting for a reply. 

Kara took a deep breath and plunged ahead, “She mentioned you have a lead for me. Would you like to meet me for dinner again to discuss it?” 

“Eager to get to the story now, aren’t we?” Lena teased. 

“Well, I thought you might still be so busy with L-Corp that dinner would work best. I was thinking Noonan’s, if you haven’t been there that is. It’s a local hot spot and one of my favorite restaurants in town. They make delicious milkshakes.” 

“Are you asking me out to milkshakes?” 

Kara forced herself to calm down, else she might break a phone receiver for the second time. “O-only if you like milkshakes.” 

“I do,” Kara heard the smile in Lena’s voice. “Very much.”


	8. Just Friends

She floated her way through the morning. Not literally, otherwise that would have raised questions at the office, but her head was in the clouds nonetheless. When she hung up the phone, she’d realized she’d admitted to asking Lena out. Soon after came the realization that Lena had said yes. She’d basically admitted that this was a date on the phone, and Lena had agreed to it. _I’m going on a date with Lena Luthor!_ At least, she thought she was, maybe Lena hadn’t understood her? Maybe she really did only want to talk about the lead and was just teasing Kara about the date. But that didn’t make sense. 

“She said she liked milkshakes,” she muttered to herself for the hundredth time, trying to convince herself that the conversation, and it’s implications, were real.

“Who likes milkshakes?” 

She looked up from her desk to see her friend standing in the doorway. “James! I’m sorry, I was talking to myself out loud; I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Well, I did just get here.” 

“Um, come in, I only have the one extra chair, so I hope you don’t mind. Cat keeps telling me to call the decorator, but I keep forgetting.” 

“I understand. It took me two weeks to get him to come by my office after I was hired,” he smiled that warm friendly smile that had always made her feel welcome, and she sighed happily. It meant they were friends again. “I wanted to congratulate you on your article.”

 “Thank you, James! I still can’t quite believe it’s real. I mean, I’m a reporter now, just like Clark!” 

“It does seem to run in the family,” he smiled again, then his face grew serious. “Kara, I’d…I was wondering if you would like to get coffee. Not like a date,” he added swiftly as a spasm of anxiety flickered across her face. “Just, to talk. You know. About everything. If you’re free that is. If you’re not ready to, that’s fine with me. You were willing to give me time, so I can wait if you need it.” 

Kara paused, unsure. “I…I think I’d like that James.” 

“Good,” he rose. “I’ll let you get some work done. Want to meet at Noonan’s after work?” 

Kara nodded. “I’ll see you then, and thank you James.” 

“For what?” 

“For congratulating me. Your support means a lot to me.”

He nodded, an inscrutable half-smile on his handsome features. "See you later."

_________________

 

Lena was meeting her at 7:30, so Kara had plenty of time to fly home after her coffee with James to change. The conversation had gone far better than she expected. After an initial awkward fumbling with words and coffee cups, they’d settled down and back into a conversational rhythm. When he’d brought up her dinner with Lena, she’d braced herself for an attack. 

“I don’t mind, Kara,” he surprised her by saying. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past couple of days. About you, me, us, Lucy, all of it, and I’ve realized I’ve been too caught up in being in a relationship.” 

Kara started to object, but James held up his hand to forestall her. “Let me finish, Kara. When I was with Lucy, I was trying not to think about you, but it wasn’t just that. I moved here after breaking up with Lucy and before I could get adjusted to my new life in National City, she came back into my life. In a way, she gave me a sense of stability, of connection to my old life when I was feeling a bit out of my element with all the change.” 

“And then I started spending more time you, both as Kara and as Supergirl, and I was dazzled. You blush, but you are, Kara, dazzling. Like your cousin. You have a way of drawing everyone’s eyes to you while also turning them inward to look at themselves. You bring out the best in us, and that was what I was looking for, someone to give me a sense of direction when I felt a bit overwhelmed with moving and starting a new job. Being with you did that for me.”

Kara took James’ arm, “James, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay, Kara,” James answered, putting his hand over hers. “I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but I’m moving on. I’ve been looking outward, not inward, to find stability. I need to find a new place for myself in National City, and that means being on my own for a while.” 

Kara nodded, “We’re…we’re still friends right?” 

“Of course, Kara.” 

“Good,” she sighed, relieved that this had gone as Alex had predicted. “Because I couldn’t be me, as Supergirl or as Kara, without you on my team. We’re stronger together.” 

“Stronger together,” he echoed. “And Kara, I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds, but I’m going to give you the same advice I gave Winn. If you have a chance on something you want, don’t wait for it. It’s not worth waiting around for it to fall into your lap, because things can change in a heartbeat.”

 Kara blushed furiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about James.” 

“Just promise me you won’t hold back on my account okay? If there’s someone else that you’re interested in, then I think you should go for it. Someone like Lena Luthor, perhaps.”

Kara’s mouth gaped open. “Who–What–How did you know?” 

“Office gossip.” 

“Everyone at Catco is talking about Lena and I?” 

“Not everyone,” James corrected. “Just Cat. And the receptionist.” 

“The receptionist?!” 

“She told me a bouquet of flowers arrived this morning from an upscale boutique florist that just so happens to be right next door to the new L Corp building.”

“They were from Lena…” She stared into her coffee, eyes wide. 

“You didn’t know?” 

“The card only said, ‘Congratulations, your first piece was even better than your cousin’s.’ I thought they might be from Alex or my foster mother.” 

“Unsigned?” 

“I just, well…I didn’t think too much about it,” she squeaked and brought her hands to her mouth. “Lena sent me flowers.” 

“It looks good on you, Kara,” James said, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice. 

Kara fiddled with the handle to her cup, unsure how to reply. “What does?” 

“Being that happy.” 

 _The way being with you made me feel_. The words hung unspoken in the air for a few seconds before dissipating like the steam from their coffee. Someone slammed the door open to the restaurant and the moment passed. 

“I should get going, but before I do, can I ask you something?” 

“Anything?” 

James had a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ve been thinking of getting back into photojournalism. Do you think Supergirl might like to do a photoshoot for me?”

Kara smiled ear to ear, “Only if you ask her nicely.”


	9. Okay, This Really Is A Date

She’d just finished zipping up the back of her dress when her phone buzzed. She’d had more time after meeting with James than expected, so she’d gone to her favorite store for a new dress. The bold, clean lines of the lipstick red dress in the display window had caught her eye immediately, and she’d been pleased to find they had her size in stock. It’s pencil skirt fit her like a glove, but unlike some of the clothes she’d bought and worn while on the red kryptonite (and discarded later), it felt true to her personality. She paired it with black pumps, the necklace her mother had given her for her 10th birthday, and a glowing smile. 

When the phone vibrated on her dresser, her heart skipped a beat. _I hope it’s not Lena cancelling._ It wasn’t. It was worse. 

She’d been concerned about Kal El’s reaction ever since she’d first admitted to Alex she liked Lena. Alex had been kind enough not to ask, but the question had hung in the air, _“What will your cousin think?”_ She was about to find out. 

“I hear you have a date with Lena Luthor tonight,” his text said. 

She sighed. “I’m going to kill Winn later,” she muttered darkly. She’d told him not to say anything until she knew how Lena felt for certain. This could all be nothing more than a passing flirtation or a misunderstanding. She didn’t want Clark upset about nothing. 

She chose to be as diplomatic as she could, “I don’t know if it’s a date yet, actually. We’re meeting to discuss a lead for a story she might have.” 

“Yet? So you are considering starting a relationship with Lena?” 

Starting a relationship? Is that what she was doing? She hadn’t thought about it that way, but that’s what it boiled down to. 

“I know you don’t like her Clark, but I do.” 

“It isn’t that I don’t like her. I don’t trust the Luthors, not after what Lex did to me, to Lois, and to Metropolis. She’s dangerous, all the Luthors are.” 

Kara bit her lip. She knew what Clark must be going through, but she also sympathized with Lena. Like her, Lena had villains in the family, people who did harm to real people because they believed what they did was right. Astra was no Lex Luthor, certainly, but she had still hurt people and tried to drag Kara into it. And Kara had hurt people too, when she’d been under the influence of the red kryptonite. Cat’s screams as she fell from the balcony still haunted her. 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She understood Lena better than Clark could and she trusted her. It was a feeling she got, of kinship, understanding, of ‘sameness’. Lena sought what Kara did: redemption for her family and a new life for herself outside of her family’s shadow. 

“I understand how you feel, Clark, but I trust her.” 

The long pause while she waited for his reply ate at her. Would he understand? Minutes passed. 

When she could wait no longer, she left for Noonan’s to meet Lena. She could deal with Clark later.

Her phone vibrated with his reply right as she reached the front doors. 

“I’m sorry I got so upset. I trust you, Kara. I might not believe in her the way you do, yet, but I believe in you.” 

She teared up, her fingers mistyping her reply three times before she got it correctly. 

“Thank you, Clark. That means everything to me.” 

“Love you, coz.” 

Tension she didn’t realize she was holding in her back and shoulders eased. No matter what happened tonight, she had his support. “You too,” she shot back, then put her phone away. All her attention for the rest of the evening would be on Lena Luthor and the lead she had promised.

_________________

Unlike their first dinner, they fell into conversation easily this time. This was Kara’s home turf, and she was completely at ease. Lena’s choice of a deep purple dress cut with a deep V in the back complimented her raven black hair and ivory skin perfectly, and Kara told her so. She didn’t think Lena could look surprised, and was delighted to find out attractive a look it was on her. 

 _She’s so self assured; I didn’t think I could break her poise with a compliment!_ She beamed at the thought. 

“I hope this isn’t too forward, but how old were you? When you were adopted?” Kara asked after the server had taken their order. 

“I was a baby. After Lex was born, our mother had trouble. She miscarried three times before the doctor’s told her that she might not be able to carry another baby to term.” 

“I’m sorry; that must have been so hard for her,” Kara touched Lena’s arm, pleased that rather than pull away, Lena laid one of her soft, well manicured hands on her own. 

“Thank you,” Lena replied. “Most people think that just because my parents ended up adopting, that somehow this is a happy story with a happy ending. They tend to jump past the misery and pain that led up to my adoption.” 

“Losing a baby is never a happy ending.” Kara’s own mother Alura had miscarried once after Kara, a late miscarriage that almost killed her. Afterward, she’d chosen to not have any more children. Kara had always wondered if her mother might have adopted a child if they had survived. 

“No, it isn’t.” Lena replied, eyes somber. 

“But you gaining a new family is, tell me about that. If you want to, that is. Is this inappropriate dinner conversation? I don’t want to get too personal or anything. I mean, I do, but not if you’re uncomfortable. And it’s just that I’m adopted, and I thought since it was something we had in common, we could talk about it. You know, if you wanted to. I want to, well, not want to, want to, but I do. Want to. Talk to you that is.” 

Lena cracked a smile, then erupted into laughter. 

“Oh my gosh, I was rambling, I’m so sorry!” Kara pulled back, her face flaming almost the precise color of her dress. 

“No, no Kara, don’t apologize!” Lena reached out and took hold of her hand across the table. “I think it’s adorable.” 

Kara stared, unsure what to say. _Breathe Kara, just breathe._ She was finding that hard to do, though. That and talking. All her words and breath had been sucked out of her when Lena said the word “adorable” in a sentence about her. 

“To answer your question, this is not inappropriate dinner conversation. I like talking with you,” Lena took a sip of her water and swallowed hard. “I hope this isn’t too forward, but I find talking with you so easy. I feel like we’ve known each other longer than for just over a week. I’m, comfortable with you in a way that I am not normally with strangers.” 

“You’ve had to isolate yourself, to keep yourself from being hurt by people who would exploit you,” Kara said, her own experience with these truths telling her that here was a kindred spirit. “And you’re worried people won’t accept who you are, that they’ll judge you by your family or by the wrong parts of your family.” 

Lena nodded vigorously, “And being adopted, you never quite fit in anywhere. Sure, your parents and siblings might love you, accept you even, but there’s always that small part of you that thinks, ‘I don’t belong.’” 

“Yes! And you think that maybe if you could find your family, you’d find belonging. But then you also realize that it wouldn’t be the same, even if you did find them.” 

“That at some level, you both belong to and don’t belong to your adopted family,” Lena finished. 

“And ultimately, what matters most is the choices you make to belong, to choose what family is yours, whether it be with friends or with your adopted family or a bit of both.” 

“Family is found more than it’s born into,” Lena agreed. 

“The ones that matter most are the ones you choose to be with.” Somehow during the conversation, they had started holding hands. When Kara finished speaking, Lena squeezed her hand. 

It was less like electricity (and Kara knew what electric shocks felt like) than it was like something slid into place. The axes of their individual lives shifted and their worlds began to turn in sync. 

Lena seemed to have felt it too, from the small, perfect ‘oh’ her dark red lips were making, but the server arrived with their meals, forcing their hands apart. The moment faded, but the substance remained, a new bedrock beneath their feet. 

“Y-you said you had a lead for me?” Kara asked, all awkward glasses fiddling and shy smiles once more. She didn’t know how to tread the new waters they’d entered, so she fell back on old habits. 

“I have a confession to make first. I wasn’t entirely honest with you.” 

Kara sat up straighter. _You can do this._ Lena took another bite of her steak and chewed thoughtfully, biding her time. Kara thought she might scream. Perhaps she’d been wrong about the moment, had she misread Lena that badly? 

“N-not entirely honest?” Kara twisted the napkin in her lap so hard she heard fabric rip. 

“I do have a lead for you, don’t worry,” Lena soothed. 

 _That’s not what I’m worried about_. 

“But, well,” Lena shut her eyes, exhaled, and opened them again. “That wasn’t the reason I agreed to dinner.” 

“Oh,” Kara said. 

Lena reached across and took her hand, “If I’ve completely misread you, Kara, tell me right away and I’ll back off. I’m rarely ever wrong about these things, but there’s always a first time and I _have_ been burned before.” 

“Burned?”

Lena chuckled to herself. “I’m not doing this very well. I’m normally so smooth, but you take all my words away, Kara Danvers. It’s one of the things I like about you.” 

Kara’s heart started beating rapidly; warmth flooded her arms and neck. Her head felt lighter than air. “You mean…this is…you want to…” 

“I would like to spend more time with you, yes, and as more than friends,” Lena finally admitted. “If you’re interested.” 

“Interested?!” Kara blurted. The table nearest them gave her sideways glances at her outburst. She ignored them. “I…yes…I mean. I am. Interested that is.” The look on Lena’s face was of utter delight. With Lena’s eyes of green fire fixed on her with such joy, Kara found that she could speak again. “I feel the same way. There’s just something about you that draws me, pulls me toward you like a an escape pod drawn in by earth’s gravity.” 

Lena blinked. “That’s a very specific example, rather an odd choice, but I know what you mean.” Her eyes sparkled like emeralds and for a moment, Kara forgot that Lena didn’t know about her as Supergirl. She imagined a life with Lena, two women from homes at once broken and healed choosing love and happiness together in the face of all the odds. 

Then, reality came crashing down. She’d almost given her secret away in that moment. She realized in a rush that as much as she, Kara, wanted to be with Lena, she couldn’t do it as Supergirl. Being with her put Lena in danger, a threat she didn’t know about and would not be able to prepare for. She could not put Lena in that position. 

She could tell her, but what would Alex say? Would that be trusting her too soon? What if it fell apart and Lena used her secret against her? At least with James, he had known her secret and promised to protect it before they ever admitted to having feelings about each other. But Lena. Could she trust Lena with the truth about Supergirl on such short notice? She was a Luthor after all, and her brother did want Kal El dead… 

 _I can’t think like that._ Lena was not Lex; she’d told Kal that she trusted Lena. How could she doubt her now?

Lena was staring at her oddly. She’d been silent for too long. It broke her heart to do this, but she didn’t know how else this could end. Even if she did trust Lena, she would not let her be hurt because of her. 

“Lena, maybe this is too soon. There are…things you don’t know about me. Things that could hurt you. I could hurt you.” 

Lena sighed. “I thought you might say that.” 

“You’re not mad?” 

“Mad? No. Besides, this conversation isn’t over as far as I’m concerned. I’m not going anywhere,” Lena leaned over the table and tucked a strand of Kara’s hair behind her ear. Pressing her lips close, she whispered, “Supergirl.”


	10. The Start of Something New

If Kara’s jaw could have fallen off, the clatter would have disturbed the entire restaurant and probably broken a hole in the table right and through the floor to the foundation. 

“H-how do you know? Who told you?”

 Lena leaned back and sad, rather loudly, “I need to smoke, want to come with?” 

“W-what?” 

“Ugh, come on, I need a smoke,” she caught the eye of their server. “We’ll be right back okay?” He nodded, and Lena dragged a slack-jawed Kara out the front door of Noonan’s and down to bench half a block down the street. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Kara said weakly. 

The evening was mild, so there was no need of a coat; still, Lena sat close, her knees a whisper of touch against Kara’s. 

“I don’t,” Lena replied, teeth white as stars in the light of the street lamp. “I needed an excuse to get us out of there in a way no one would find suspicious. I didn’t think you wanted to have a conversation about being National City’s girl in blue in front of all of Noonan’s.” 

“You’re right. Alex would kill me if everyone there found out. She’s already annoyed that so many people know.” 

“She cares about protecting you, as any good big sister should.” 

“I want to know how you found out about me, but first, while we’re talking about Alex, I wanted to thank you for saving her life. I don’t know what I would have done if…” The thought of losing Alex made her throat close up. She choked back tears. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize. You love your sister. That’s never something to apologize for,” Lena tucked another strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “And you’re welcome. I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting you. Well someone you care about, that is, since you’re bulletproof and all.” Lena traced a pattern on her arm with a feather-light touch. Kara felt a shiver of pleasure run down her spine. 

 _Focus._ She coughed and tried her best to look stern. “So, how did out find out about me?” 

Lena continued to trace the pattern on Kara’s arm while she talked. “My brother.”

“Lex Luthor knows about me?” Kara had to fight off a rising panic that threatened to choke her. Would he send an assassin after _her_ , now? Or Alex? Or Eliza? 

“Oh, no, Lex hadn’t put all the pieces together himself,” Lena assured her. “He had the pieces, but was so obsessed with taking out your cousin that he didn’t bother to put them together.” 

“When?” Kara whispered, suddenly afraid that Lena had only wanted to be with her because she was Supergirl, not because she was Kara Danvers. She’d thought the moment at the office—the moment she’d first noticed Lena, when Lena had told her she ought to be a reporter—she’d thought Lena might have seen her, Kara, not the superhero. _Maybe all she’s ever wanted is Supergirl. Maybe no one will ever want me as Kara._  

“After our first dinner together,” Lena replied. 

Relief washed through Kara so palpable she thought she might slide right off the bench. “So our first date _was_ about me.” 

“A date now was it?” Lena teased. “I thought it was a professional dinner between an up and coming new CEO in National City and Catco Media’s bright new reporter.” 

Kara’s face fell, a blush creeping up her neck and into her face. “You mean that wasn’t a date? I mean, of course it wasn’t a date. It-it was an interview, n-not a d-date. Nope, not a date. Not at all.” 

“Kara, honey,” Lena touched her chin lightly. “I was only teasing. Of course it was a date. If I hadn’t have wanted a date, I would not have booked us dinner at an exclusive sushi restaurant.” 

Kara’s eyes went wide, “You mean, you had room in your schedule for an interview?” 

Lena laughed, and it sounded to Kara as if the heavens were singing, “Of course I could have! I could have made room for you during the day at any time. I just wanted an excuse in case you weren’t interested in me the way I was, am, interested in you. And I am interested in you. Not just Supergirl, though that’s icing on the cake. I’m interested in you, Kara Danvers.” 

Kara was tongue tied. All she could do was stare at the beautiful, intelligent, elegant woman next to her on the bench and gape. _This woman is interested in me? How?_ She didn’t know how, she only knew that it made her happier than she’d ever felt. She beamed back at Lena. “I’m, I mean, I like you too. A lot.” 

“I’m pleased to hear that, Kara. Very pleased,” Lena looked about to say something else, but changed her mind. 

“Since we’re, on the same page about this,” Lena gestured to the space between them with a graceful hand. “I feel like it’s only fair that you know now just how much information is out there. I have deleted all traces of the files Lex Luthor compiled, you can have your sister and her team double check my servers and personal computers if you wish. I have nothing to hide, but that doesn’t mean Lex might not have hidden copies that I don’t have access to. They are free to search for those as well, though I’ve tried my best to locate duplicates and found nothing as yet.” 

Shocked, Kara thanked her in a rush of words. Lena quirked an eyebrow at her gushing, but waited patiently for her to finish. “You’re welcome. I didn’t want the wrong hands stumbling on this information and using it against you. I’ve seen what careless handling of information can do in the wrong hands.” She stared into space a long moment before continuing. 

“Lex had stumbled across the truth about Clark Kent and Superman not long before being sent to prison—it was that information that put him over the edge into madness. That his nemesis could be so close to him, under his nose even, and not see it? He was unprepared for how that made him feel. He’d always prided himself on his intelligence and observational skills.” 

Traces of nostalgia crept into Lena’s voice as she spoke. She really did love her brother, Kara realized. _The same way I loved Astra._ “I’m so sorry, Lena. About Lex. It must be hard for you to have seen him…” 

“Lose his grip on reality?” Lena snorted, then her face grew sad, her dark lashes trembling with unshed tears. “Thanks. Not many people seem to understand that he wasn’t always an evil person. He wanted to protect Metropolis from Superman at first; then the thought he could use Superman to achieve his own ends, and somehow that warped into something twisted and ugly when he couldn’t control your cousin the way he wanted to. It just…hurts me to see what he’s become now.” 

When she started to cry, Kara wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Lena’s head fell to her shoulder and rested there for several moments while she sobbed. She rubbed Lena’s back, her palm caressing the soft, alabaster skin exposed by the backless dress in soothing circles. 

“And then,” Lena’s head snapped up, her sad green eyes now flashing with fire. “Then I get angry. Because who is he to take this out on me? I didn’t do anything wrong. All I did was take over the company once he was imprisoned and try to turn it into a force for good!” 

“You’re doing good things for yourself, Lena,” Kara soothed. “And for National City and L-Corp. He can’t see that.”

“But why? He was my first real friend as a child, and the one member of my adopted family that did not at some point make me feel inferior for being abandoned by my mother at the hospital after I was born. I supported him when he first started Luthor Corp; I even tried to reason with him when he started getting fixated on Superman, to bring him back to reality and the things he used to care about. Then he turns around and takes it all out on me?! It isn’t fair!” 

Lena’s eyes flickered, but her lower lip trembled. Kara could feel her trembling with unexpressed emotion.

“No,” she said. finally. “It isn’t fair. You don’t deserve this, but you can be better. Live your life, be happy, keep pushing L-Corp in the right direction. That’s how you prove he can’t get to you.” 

“You know what? You’re right,” Lena’s face lit up with determination and a fierce smile. “I’m going to do just that, starting with this.” 

Before Kara could react, Lena leaned forward and pressed her crimson red lips to hers. Without pausing to think, she leaned into it, softening her own lips to move gently in time with Lena’s. 

Lena broke off the embrace, breathless, “I’m sorry, that was a bit rushed. I should have asked you first. I only want to move as quickly as you do, Kara.” 

“You don’t need to apologize,” Kara breathed. She heard the echo of Cat Grant’s voice telling her to keep daring, keep diving, so she pulled Lena close. “If you don’t mind, Ms. Luthor, I would very much like to kiss you again.” 

“Very well,” Lena locked eyes with her. “You are welcome to.” 

Kara dragged her fingers across Lena’s smooth white jaw, savoring the feel of her skin underneath her fingertips. It was soft, warm, and flawless. _How could someone so delicate looking have such strength within her? She’s fierce and tireless and mine._ She could not believe such a woman wanted her, but here she was and here Lena was and nothing was more obvious than that they ought to be together. 

She cupped the back of Lena’s head gently, careful not to pull to forcefully lest she hurt her with her superstrength. When their lips touched again, she felt that pull again, the one that spoke of stars aligning and gravitational equilibrium. Their worlds were always meant to collide and form a binary system together. Lena hummed with pleasure, trailing her fingers down Kara’s side to rest on her ribcage, the better to pull her more tightly into their kiss. 

When they finally came up for air, their hair had tangled around their shoulders, a tapestry woven of spun gold and jet black strands. A cool breeze picked up, tangling it even further and they laughed. 

When they unknotted themselves, Lena was shivering. “Don’t you get cold, Kara?” 

She shrugged, “Not really. Alien metabolism you know. It has it’s perks. I can eat a lot of ice cream and not get cold or fat. Alex hates it.” She crinkle her eyes up in a smile.

“I bet,” Lena retorted. She shivered again, and Kara threw an arm protectively around her. “Let’s get you inside where it’s warmer. I don’t want you to get sick out here in the cold wind.” 

“Why Kara, I had no idea you would be such a protective girlfriend.” 

 _Girlfriend?_ Kara’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. _Girlfriend. I like the sound of that. A lot!_  

“And besides,” Lena folded her arms across her chest and arched one eyebrow. “You promised me a milkshake.” 

Kara’s smile widened, “Want to share one? I’ve always wanted to share a milkshake with a girlfriend. We can ask for two straws and everything!” 

Lena stuck her arm through Kara’s as they re-entered Noonan’s, “I’d like that very, _very_ much.” 

Kara didn’t think she’d ever felt so happy in her entire life. 

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my fic!!! I plan on doing some one shots for a while next, as I have my sci-fi novel to revise and other writing projects. But stay tuned, I'm not nearly done with writing Supercorp fic! 
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://theonewithpurplehair.tumblr.com) for updates!


End file.
